Notice of Public Workshops

Proposed Changes to Water Quality Standards

Why is the Department of Ecology holding public workshops?

The Department of Ecology (Ecology) may make significant changes to the surface water quality standards (Chapter 173-201 A WAC). These standards place limits on how much pollution is allowed in our rivers, lakes and marine waters. We want to discuss these draft proposals in the informal setting of public workshops in January 2001. This will provide an opportunity for you to learn about the proposals and tell us your views before we draft the final rule.

What are the proposed changes?

Water Quality Antidegradation Plan. The existing state water quality standards contain an antidegradation policy that is required by federal regulations. The proposed revisions clarify how existing in-stream beneficial uses (swimming, boating, fish habitat, and other uses) are to be protected and prevent the degradation of a waterbody unless necessary in the public's interest.

Restructuring the Water Quality Standards. Ecology may change the way it assigns beneficial uses to individual waterbodies. Uses are now assigned in pre-determined sets, or "classes," regardless of whether each use actually occurs there. The proposed system would allow the flexibility to assign beneficial uses independently of one another.

Temperature Criteria. Some say the existing criteria are unnecessarily stringent; others say they are too lenient. After detailed review of our existing criteria, we are proposing five separate temperature standards, depending on the presence of key fish and other aquatic species or their life-stages. The proposal also limits the temperature of discharges from point sources to prevent instantaneous death to passing cold-water fish species.

Dissolved Oxygen Criteria. As a result of our detailed review of the technical literature, we are proposing three separate standards based on the presence of key species or their specific lifestages: 1) salmon and trout spawning; 2) salmon and trout rearing; and 3) warm-water fish spawning and rearing.

Bacteria Criteria. We propose to follow guidance for all states from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and change from using fecal coliform to enterococci, to indicate the presence of pathogens, and protect the health of people who work and play in our waters. Enterococci has been shown to be a very effective indicator of the safety of water for human contact, and its use helps ensure wastewater is properly disinfected prior to discharge to state waters.

Irrigation Water Supply Standards. We propose adding specific numeric criteria for conductivity, total suspended solids, and bicarbonate to protect the use of water for irrigated agriculture.

Miscellaneous Changes. These include adopting a less restrictive acute ammonia criteria recently established by EPA to protect fish and aquatic life, correcting several typographic errors from our last revision to the standards, and making some clarifying statements on the allowance of short-term exceedances of water quality standards to support projects that are necessary and in the public interest.

When will the public workshops occur?

Mt. Vernon

Skagit County PUD, 1415 Freeway Drive

Monday, January 8

Bellevue

Ecology Northwest Regional Office

3190 - 160th Avenue SE

Tuesday, January 9

Longview

Cowlitz County PUD (Public Service Room)

961 - 12th Avenue

Thursday, January 11

Wenatchee

Public Library Auditorium

310 Douglass Street

Tuesday, January 16

Kennewick

Benton Co. PUD Auditorium

2721 West 10th (comer of Hwy 395 and I

Wednesday, January 17

Spokane

Spokane Community College (SUB # 17)

341 0 West Fort George Wright Drive.

Thursday, January 18

Port Angeles

Vem Burton Center

308 East 4th (comer of 4th and Peabody

Monday, January 22

How do I learn more?

The following documents are available from either Ecology's Webpage at

www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/swqa/index.html or in written from by request:

1) - - Two-page focus sheets discussing, each of the key issues.

2) - - A mark-up draft showing all proposed changes to the regulation (93 pages).

3) - - The draft antidegradation implementation plan (19 pages).

4) - - Detailed technical review documents on:

a) - - temperature criteria and the protection of aquatic life (153 pages);

b) - - dissolved oxygen criteria and the protection of aquatic life (60 pages);

c) - - bacteria criteria and protection of swimming and shellfish consumption (95 pages);

d) - - criteria for the protection of agricultural water supplies (38 pages)

.

To obtain copies of any of the discussion documents, or to find out more, contact:

Mark Hicks, Water Quality Standards Coordinator

(360) - - 407-6477 or email mhic461@ecy.wa.gov

This page created and maintained by Chehalis River Council
Send comments or questions to the: Chehalis River Council